Sedalia Council Nears Approval of New Budget

The Sedalia City Council pored over details on a proposed budget for a little over 90 minutes Monday night.

Council members discussed the budget line by line, approving some items, scaling back some items and removing some altogether. City Administrator Kelvin Shaw said he was pleased with the process.

“I think it went real well. I commend Council on wrestling with some real tough decisions and there was a lot of great discussion. We made progress,” Shaw said. “They do have good fiscal discipline.”

A Jan. 6 strategic planning session helped prioritize what the Council wants. “That sets the stage for these meetings, so it makes it a little easier when we get to this point, so we know longer what we're looking at,” Shaw noted.

The next step is to hold a public meeting on the proposed budget to gain input from constituents as wel as the chance to address Council members directly.

Last year's budget is online, as well as the five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). “We encourage the public to take a look at that and give us input. We want to hear from our customers,” Shaw said after the meeting. Once the new budget is finalized and approved, it will be posted on the City's website also.